The Pope was asked about the "conflict" between Spain and those in the Catalan region who are campaigning to be a separate state, he told La Vanguardia: "All division worries me."

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church added: "There is independence by emancipation and independence by secession.

"The independences by emancipation, for example, are American, that they were emancipated from the European states.

"The independences of nations by secession is a dismemberment, sometimes it's very obvious.

"Let's think of the former Yugoslavia. Obviously, there are nations with cultures so different that couldn't even be stuck together with glue.

"The Yugoslavian case is very clear, but I ask myself if it is so clear in other cases - Scotland, Padania, Catalunya."

He added: "There will be cases that will be just and cases that will not be just, but the secession of a nation without an antecedent of mandatory unity, one has to take it with a lot of grains of salt and analyse it case by case."

The votes of Scotland's 840,000 Catholics will be crucial when the country of 5.2 million votes in September.

The pope's comments were welcome both the No and Yes campaigns in Scotland.

Labour MP Anne McGuire said Pope Francis was "right to warn about the impact of division".

Commenting on behalf of the pro-UK Better Together campaign, the MP for Stirling said: "This is an interesting and welcome intervention from Pope Francis.

"The Pope is right to warn about the impact of division on society and to draw the distinction between independence for emancipation and that for secession.

"Coming on the back of the interventions by President Obama, Hillary Clinton and JK Rowling, the comments from Pope Francis highlight just how important the decision we have to make in September is."

A spokesman for the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign said: "As His Holiness says, these matters should be looked at on a case-by-case basis."

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Pope Francis (C) leads a prayer during a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem, on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/ VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis attends a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem, on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/ VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Clergymen attend a mass celebrated by Pope Francis (C) at the site known as the Cenacle, or Upper Room, bringing into sharp focus a decades-long debate over prayer rites at the site where Christians believe Jesus had his Last Supper on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem's Old City. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/ POOL / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C) arrives for a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem, on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/ VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C) celebrates a mass at the site known as the Cenacle, or Upper Room, bringing into sharp focus a decades-long debate over prayer rites at the site where Christians believe Jesus had his Last Supper on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem's Old City. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/ POOL / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis gives a speech during a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem, on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle East trip. AFP PHOTO/POOL/JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (R) receives a gift as Israeli Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef (C), during a visit to the Heichal Shlomo Center in Jerusalem on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/POOL/ANDREW MEDICHINI (Photo credit should read ANDREW MEDICHINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C-L) shakes the hand of holocaust survivor Moshe Ha-Elion (C-R) during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C-L) kisses the hand of holocaust survivor Sonia Tunik-Geron (C-R) during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom - GPO /Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Ministrer Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom - GPO /Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Ministrer Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom - GPO /Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom - GPO /Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Ministrer Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Amos Ben Gershom - GPO /Getty Images)

Pope Francis lays a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance on May 26, 2014, during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis lays a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance on May 26, 2014, during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis rekindles the eternal flame at the Hall of Remembrance on May 26, 2014, during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis rekindles the eternal flame at the Hall of Remembrance on May 26, 2014, during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. Pope Francis denounced the 'abyss' of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. AFP PHOTO/ GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the dome of the rock on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Haim Zach - GPO /Getty Images)

Pope Francis hugs two close friends traveling with him Rabbi Abraham Skorka (R) and Omar Abboud (L), a leader of Argentina's Islamic community, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/ THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis hugs two close Jewish and Muslim friends traveling with him at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/ THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: Pope Francis (C ) meets Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein (L) by dome of the rock at al aqsa compound on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afteroon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: Pope Francis (C ) meets Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein (L) by dome of the rock at al aqsa compound on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afteroon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) Pope Francis prays by the Western Wall on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (R) walks with religious leaders near the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/ THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City on May 26, 2014. The 77-year-old pontiff faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/ MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the dome of the rock on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Haim Zach - GPO /Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the dome of the rock on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Haim Zach - GPO /Getty Images)

Pope Francis prays at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City on May 26, 2014. The 77-year-old pontiff faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/ MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)

A picture taken on May 26, 2014 shows Israeli policemen standing guard before the arrivial of Pope Francis for a visit outside the Dome of the Rock in the al-Aqsa mosques compound in Arab East Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem's Old City -- built on the holiest site in Judaism and considered the third holiest in Islam -- is a sensitive holy site that is frequently the scene of tensions between the Jewish and Muslim communities. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C) arrives at the Dome of the Rock in the al-Aqsa mosque compound, in Israeli annexed East Jerusalem on May 26, 2014. Pope Francis faces a diplomatic high-wire act as he visits sacred Muslim and Jewish sites in Jerusalem on the final day of his Middle East tour. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Christian worshipers pose for pictures at the stage where Pope Francis led an open air mass, at the Manger Square on May 25, 2014 outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis arrived in Bethlehem to begin the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - MAY 25: Pope Francis leads an open-air mass in the Manger Square on May 25, 2014. Pope Francis addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Fadi Arouri - Pool/Getty Images)

Pope Francis, onboard a Jordanian military helicopter, arrives at the helipad of the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem on May 25, 2014. Pope Francis arrived in Bethlehem to begin the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / HAZEM BADER (Photo credit should read HAZEM BADER/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis leads an open air mass in front of a painting depicting baby Jesus at the Nativity scene covered with a Palestinian Kefiyeh, on May 25, 2014 at Manger Square in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis is expected to begin in Bethlehem the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX
(Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (4th L) leads an open air mass in front of a painting depicting baby Jesus at the Nativity scene covered with a Palestinian Kefiyeh, on May 25, 2014 at Manger Square in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis is expected to begin in Bethlehem the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis leads an open air mass in front of a painting depicting baby Jesus at the Nativity scene covered with a Palestinian Kefiyeh, on May 25, 2014 at Manger Square in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis is expected to begin in Bethlehem the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

People attend an open-air mass led by Pope Francis at the Manger Square on May 25, 2014 outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis arrived in Bethlehem to begin the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Nuns wave as they attend an open air mass celebrated by Pope Francis leads at Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity on May 25, 2014 in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis is expected to begin in Bethlehem the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / ABBAS MOMANI (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from inside his pope-mobile on his way to Manger Square to celebrate an open air mass on May 25, 2014 in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Pope Francis is expected to begin in Bethlehem the most sensitive part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / JAAFAR ASHTIYEH (Photo credit should read JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images)

BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - MAY 25: Pope Francis takes part in a Mass held at the Church of Nativity on May 25, 2014, in Bethlehem, West Bank. Pope Francis addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as 'unacceptable' and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

Iraqi Christians greet Pope Francis before a mass at the Amman stadium in the Jordanian capital on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis made an urgent plea today for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East. AFP PHOTO / KHALIL MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis blesses the crowd before celebrating a mass at the Amman stadium in the Jordanian capital on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis made an urgent plea today for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East. AFP PHOTO / KHALIL MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis leads (C) a mass at Amman stadium in the Jordanian capital on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis made an urgent plea today for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East. AFP PHOTO / KHALIL MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims upon his arrival at the Amman stadium where he will celebrate a mass on May 24, 2014 in the Jordanian capital. Pope Francis made an urgent plea today for peace in war-torn Syria as he kicked off a three-day pilgrimage to the Middle East. AFP PHOTO / KHALIL MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (L) meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the Royal Palace in Amman on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis urged respect for religious freedom in the Middle East and an end to persecution of Christians, saying they were 'full citizens' with a right to be in the region. AFP PHOTO/POOL/ANDREW MEDICHINI (Photo credit should read ANDREW MEDICHINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C-L) is greeted by Jordans Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed (C-R), King Abdullah II's religious affairs adviser, upon his arrival at Marka International Airport in Amman on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis arrived in Jordan for the first leg of a Middle East tour aimed at bettering relations with Jews and Muslims as well as easing an ancient rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (C) is greeted by Christian clergymen, upon his arrival at Marka International Airport in Amman on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis arrived in Jordan for the first leg of a Middle East tour aimed at bettering relations with Jews and Muslims as well as easing an ancient rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis (L) is greeted by Jordans Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed (R), King Abdullah II's religious affairs adviser, upon his arrival at Marka International Airport in Amman on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis arrived in Jordan for the first leg of a Middle East tour aimed at bettering relations with Jews and Muslims as well as easing an ancient rift within Christianity. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis looks at as he walks to the top of the stairs leading to the plane as he leaves to his trip to the Holy Land on May 24, 2014. Pope Francis arrives in Jordan Saturday at the start of a Middle East tour aiming to boost ties with Muslims and Jews as well as easing an age-old rift within Christianity itself.
AFP/PHOTO FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

A Palestinian Muslim man walks in front of a giant banner bearing portraits of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas (L) and Catholic Pope Francis on May 23, 2014 in a street of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Two days before Pope Francis arrives in the Holy Land, Israelis and Palestinians were putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the visit. AFP PHOTO / MUSA AL SHAER (Photo credit should read MUSA AL-SHAER/AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 23: (ISRAEL OUT) An ultra-Orthodox Jew walks under a banner for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis outside a Christian Information Center near the Jaffa Gate on May 23, 2014 in Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. Pope Francis is due to make his first visit to the Holy Land as pontiff and will visit both the West Bank and Israel this coming Sunday. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

A Catholic nun looks at a poster bearing the portrait of Catholic Pope Francis on May 23, 2014 as she opens the door of St John the Baptist Catholic church, where according to the Bible John the Baptist was detained in the town of Madaba, southwest of the Jordanian capital Amman. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Catholic pilgrims wait with candles to enter to the Grotto in the Church of Nativity, believed to be the birth place of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, on May 23, 2014, two days before Pope Francis hold Sunday mass in this holy town. Pope Francis is visiting Jordan and the Holy Land from May 24-16 before heading home. AFP PHOTO/ VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

A general view taken on May 23, 2014, shows municipal workers preparing Manger Square in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, ahead of Pope Francis' visit. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 24-26 visit in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Banners with the image of Pope Francis (L) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, hang from a lamp post on May 23, 2014, close to an Israeli army watch tower which makes up a section of the controversial Israeli constructed separation barrier, prior to the visit of the Pope to the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 25-26 visit in the Holy Land. AFP PHOTO/VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday, May 25, 2014. Francis called the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate "unacceptable" as he landed Sunday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state.

A Palestinian worker spray paints over graffiti on May 23, 2014, on an Israeli army watch tower which makes up a section of the controversial Israeli constructed separation barrier, prior to the visit of Pope Francis to the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem, where the Pope will celebrate a Holy mass next Sunday. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 25-26 visit in the Holy Land. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

A Palestinian worker, from an Israeli company, spray paints over graffiti previously daubed by peace activists on May 23, 2014, on an Israeli army watch tower which makes up a section of the controversial Israeli constructed separation barrier, where Pope Francis will drive past as he makes his way to the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem to celebrate Holy mass next Sunday. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 25-26 visit in the Holy Land. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Banners with the image of Pope Francis (L) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, hang from a lamp post on May 23, 2014, leading from the an Israeli army watch tower (background) which makes up a section of the controversial Israeli constructed separation barrier, prior to the visit of the Pope to the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 25-26 visit in the Holy Land. AFP PHOTO/VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)

A worker of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem hangs lights and flags of the Vatican in Jerusalem's Old City Christian quarter on May 23, 2014 two days ahead of a the top-level visit by Pope Francis to the Holy Land. Israelis and Palestinians are putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the Pope's May 24-26 visit in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. AFP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

A poster of Pope Francis hangs at the entrance of the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem on May 22, 2014 prior to his visit to the garden over the weekend. Two days before the Argentinian pontiff arrives in the Holy Land, Israelis and Palestinians were putting the finishing touches on a flurry of festive preparations for the visit. AFP PHOTO/ AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

A banner showing images of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I (R), Pope Francis (L) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (C) is hanged on a gate near the Church of Nativity, believed to be the birth place of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, on May 23, 2014, two days before Pope Francis hold Sunday mass in this holy town. Pope Francis is visiting Jordan and the Holy Land from May 24-16 before heading home. AFP PHOTO/ VINCENZO PINTO (Photo credit should read VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)